


It started with a Bagel

by Tinadapenguin1



Series: Skeptic [1]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-07-27
Packaged: 2018-12-07 18:48:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11629674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tinadapenguin1/pseuds/Tinadapenguin1
Summary: Jean was a skeptic, in every sense of the word. If it didn't have a realistic answer, he wouldn't even acknowledge it. Jean has been like this throughout his cognitive life. So he found himself very troubled by the recent occurrences that were happening. Missing keys, opened curtains, giggles in the middle of the night and worse still, the ghost of his ex running his bone chilling hands across his back. Yes, Jean Kirstein was a skeptic, but the return of Marco Bott was starting to make him question his own skepticism.





	It started with a Bagel

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to rewrite the story that I had done before from scratch. I read what I had originally wrote and I was not feeling it at all. What I had written just wasn't up to my standards. I hope that if you read the original, then you would like the changes made to this one. Anyway, please enjoy.

Jean was a skeptic, in every sense of the word. If it didn't have a realistic answer, he wouldn't even acknowledge it. Jean has been like this throughout his cognitive life. So he found himself very troubled by the recent occurrences that were happening. Missing keys, opened curtains, giggles in the middle of the night and worse still, the ghost of his ex running his bone chilling hands across his back. Yes, Jean Kirstein was a skeptic, but the return of Marco Bott was starting to make him question his own skepticism. But this isn't the best place to start; the best place to begin this story would be seven years ago, when Jean first met the love of his life.

 

***

 

Jean tapped his foot in mild irritation. It was Friday and pretty early in the morning. Had he had known that the line in the Art building was going to be this long, then he would have simply waited until the afternoon to even bother leaving his dorm. He sighed, knowing that he would have been awake anyway since the mingled snores of his roommate and his girlfriend would have kept him up. He smiled fondly thinking of his roommate. They had met close to three years ago in their freshman year. The boy with his close cropped hair, practically bald, had grown on him much quicker than any other boisterous personality could. He was brought of his thoughts as the person in front of him walked forward. He looked up to see that a second cashier had come up to open up the other register. Jean pulled out his phone to check the time. It hadn’t been as long as he thought it had since he had gotten in line. He looked up again when the person in front of him moved to the side to get to the other cash register on the other side. Jean looked over at the man, slightly distracted by the visible freckles on the man’s cheeks and even some of the ones that dusted the visible part of his neck. Jean looked forward again once he noticed it was his turn. He took a step forward. A young woman smiled at him with a bright smile.

 

“Hello! What can I get you this morning?” she asked. Jean tried to give her a smile but knew full well that he couldn’t muster anything a quarter as chipper as her.

 

“I’ll just get a blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese; toasted please,” he said. The woman focused on the cash register, pressing several different buttons before looking up at him to let him know the price. He gave her the money with exact change. He already knew the price given how often he came to this shop and the fact that he got the same order. He walked off to the side to wait out of the way. The man that had been in front of him was there as well. He glanced over at the man. The man was a bit taller than him, with brown eyes. He nodded a nonverbal greeting when the man glanced over at him as well. It wasn’t very long before his order was called.

 

“That’s me,” he said. He was surprised to hear a voice that wasn’t his own. He looked over at the man, to see a slightly bewildered look on his face. The worked looked between the two of them.

 

“Uh… a toasted blueberry bagel with strawberry cream cheese… and an orange juice?” the man asked. Jean smiled and gestured for the man to get his order. The male chuckled lightly and walked forward. The cashier that had taken Jean’s order came up. The man raised his hand and plucked up the small bag. He walked over to Jean with a small smile.

 

“I figured I’d save you the trip,” he said, handing the bag to Jean. He smiled. Neither male made a move to step away.

 

“Uhm-” they started in unison. The other male smiled sheepishly and motioned for Jean to continue.

 

“You want to eat?” Jean asked. He looked over at one of the empty tables. The man nodded at him and walked toward the table that he had pointed out. The male shouldered his back pack off of him and set it to the side as he sat down. Jean followed the action to sit on the other side across from the male.

 

“So,” he started as he pulled an Arizona green tea from his bag. He looked up to face the man with a small smile. “’Stranger with good taste’ what’s your name?” The man chuckled and opened his drink.

 

“My name is Marco; Marco Bott,” he responded.

 

“Jean Kirstein. I’d shake your hand, but we’re both about to eat,” he said. Marco nodded.

 

“No worries,” he said with a smile. Jean felt his own smile get a bit wider. He took a bite from his bagel.

 

“So, what brings you here so early?” Jean asked. Marco had been pulling out a spiral notebook from his backpack to set to the side.

 

“Well, I have class in Rose building in an hour,” he said, nodding his head toward the door. Jean turned his head slightly to the side to see the building that was in view of the building. Jean nodded. “What about you?”

 

“I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays; no real reason for being up so early though,” he mused. Marco smiled.

 

“Well, it’s a good thing you were,” Marco said. Jean eyed him as he took a sip of his drink.

 

“And what, pray tell, makes getting up at this ungodly hour so good?” he asked slyly. Marco chuckled.

 

“A bagel buddy,” he said simply. Jean laughed. They talked about everything and nothing; roommates, jobs, upcoming graduation and everything in between. Jean felt as if they had only been talking for a few minutes, but grimaced when he looked at his phone. He knew Marco would have to leave soon. As if on que, Marco checked his phone.

 

“Ah… I’ve actually got to head out,” he said. Jean rested his elbow on the table and put his head in his palm.

 

“What’s your number?” he asked without really thinking. Marco stared at him blankly before smiling and holding out his hand. Jean plucked up his phone and handed it over to Marco. He looked over the male as he quickly typed in his number and handed it back.

 

“Go ahead and text me,” the freckled male said. Jean looked at his phone and had to fight back a laugh.

 

“A smiley face, seriously?”

 

“Just text me,” Marco said. Jean shook his head with a smile as he began to text out a simple “hello”. He could see Marco start to push the spiral notebook back into his backpack. He looked at his phone and smiled.

 

“I’ll go ahead and save your number,” Marco said. Jean nodded as he looked the man up and down. He worried at his bottom lip briefly before finding his voice again.

 

“Hey,” he started. Marco stopped his process of shouldering his bag onto his back. He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. Jean breathed in through his nose to contain his fluttering heart. “So- uhm… are you busy this weekend?” Jean asked.

 

“I have work but I get off at four on Saturday. Why?” Jean chortled at the way the freckled male slyly asked the question.

 

“Well, I’ve been wanting to see this movie, but I’m not really feeling like watching it by myself,” his voice trailed off. Marco smiled at him as he slid his phone into his pocket.

 

“Sure. Text me the time and I’ll meet you there,” he said. Jean nodded. He forced the corners of his lips from breaking out into a wide grin. Marco turned and with a final wave, headed toward the door. Jean let out a breath he hadn’t realized that he had been holding. He leaned back in his seat and watched the freckled male push open the door.

 

***

 

By the time Jean got to his dorm, it was already ten in the morning. He had aimlessly walked around the same area of the campus. He vaguely wondered if he would be able to bump into the man again; to spark up some form of conversation again. He was confused by the way his heart seemed to do flips and turns at the very idea of seeing a man who had been nothing but a stranger just a few hours prior. In the end, he gave up on perusing down the halls of the building and walked back to his dorm. He fished his key from his pocket once he reached his and his roommate’s dorm. To call it a dorm wasn’t necessarily correct. It was more like a fusion between an apartment and a dorm, with each roommate having their own room, two separate study areas, a kitchen, a bathroom with a shower and a living room. He could hear that the TV was on once he pushed the door open. He could hear Connie call out to say hello and he responded back as he walked to his room. He toed off his shoes and set down his belongings before trudging back to the living room.

 

“Sasha head out?” Jean asked. Connie was sprawled out on the big couch against the wall that directly faced the TV. Jean strode into the living room and walked to the love seat by the window. Jean plopped down.

 

“Yeah, we didn’t wake you up did we?”

 

“Gross, and no. I was already awake,” Jean said. Connie hummed and sat up to face him.

 

“Dude, you’re practically glowing,” he said. Jean could feel his eyebrows shoot up.

 

“For real?”

 

“Yeah, you look happier than when you found out that you only had two class days,” Connie said with a smirk. Jean let out a quiet “oh”, but didn’t say much else. He could feel a smile tug at his lips.

 

“So you not gonna tell me what’s up?” Connie asked.

 

“Well… I kinda met a guy-”

 

“You got a boyfriend?” Connie exclaimed. “Damn, that’s some serious game to nab a guy this early in the morning.” Jean chuckled at his roommate’s overzealous enthusiasm. He shook his head with a small smirk.

 

“Nah, nothing like that… I mean, he’s nice and all. It’s just nice to expand the friend circle,” he said. Connie hummed and raked his fingers against the arm of the couch.

 

“You know,” Connie started. “When I first met Sasha, I thought we would be pretty cool friends.” Jean rolled his eyes.

 

“Ok, I get it,” he said. “Anyway, we’re just going to a movie, nothing to get worked up about.”

 

“Right,” Connie mused. He shifted a bit so that he was sitting cross- legged on the couch. “I won’t pester you but, I mean, if you’re ever wanting to talk or anything…”

 

“Yeah, yeah,” Jean said with a wave of his hand. “Between you and Reiner, I’d be talking my head off giving details.” Connie chuckled at the response. They sat, chit- chatting idly as they watched various TV shows.

 

***

 

Jean leaned against the window on the outside of the movie theatre. There was chill in the air, though he was dressed for the occasion with a long sleeved shirt and a thick jacket. He had expected as such, with it being the middle of November. He fished in his pocket to grab his phone. It was only a few minutes before Marco said he would be there, and thirty minutes or so before the movie started. He had to stop the itch to text the man, knowing that he was likely still driving. He turned and looked inside. The line for the snacks wasn’t too terribly long. There was a marvel movie that was going to start a little bit after the movie he was going to watch did. He wanted to try and beat that crowd, even if he figured finding a seat in their movie was going to be easy. From the reflection of the window, he could see Marco leaving his car. Jean turned so that he could face the freckled male. He smiled brightly at him as said male approached.

 

“Did I make you wait long?” Marco asked once he was in front of Jean, a sheepish smile on his face.

 

“Nah, I got here a minute ago,” Jean said. He walked to the door and tugged it open. He pushed the door once he was inside so that Marco could follow him without having to take his hands from his pockets. They stalked up to the ticket line. Jean tilted his head so that he could glance at Marco from over his shoulder.

 

“I’ll get the ticket and the drinks if you get the popcorn and the candy,” he offered. Marco nodded. He pulled his wallet from his back pocket. Jean grabbed his wallet from the jacket pocket and walked up to counter.

 

“Hi, welcome to Maria Movie Theatre. What movie will you be seeing today?” The woman chirped the likely rehearsed lines.

 

“Can I get two for _Blood of a Canary_?” Jean asked, fishing out his card from its spot in his wallet.

 

“Do you have a rewards card?” He nodded, plucking that from his wallet as well. He handed both cards to the woman. She looked down at the small machine and scanned the cards and punched in numbers. With a soft _whir_ , the machine printed off his receipt and then two tickets. The woman slid the paper to him with a small smile.

 

“Have a nice day,” she called as the pair walked toward the food line. Both muttered out a “thank you”. They stopped at the line. Jean tapped his foot against the floor, slightly irritated at how long it had gotten. Marco tapped his arm.

 

“So, film noir” Marco asked. Jean looked back at him with a small smile.

 

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite genres,” he said. He turned to face Marco more. “Are you a fan of it too?” Marco tilted his head a bit in thought.

 

“I’d say yes, but I haven’t really watched many,” he admitted with a small laugh. Jean smiled at him. They sorted out what they wanted to get as the line dwindled down. With the tickets between his fingers, Jean picked up the popcorn and candy while Marco held the drinks. They reached a man at the podium who checked their tickets and told them which theatre to go in. They walked into the specified theatre and glanced around. There was a celebrity gossip reel playing, something the theatre usually did before the trailers. They picked a couple of seats near the middle. As Jean had expected, the theatre was practically empty, save for a small clique of girls and two separate couples. The two took their seats.

 

“Oh, by the way,” Marco started, leaning forward slightly. “Do you know Bertolt?” Jean’s eyes widened slightly before he let a smile settle on his lips.

 

“Yeah, I’m pretty good friends with him and his boyfriend,” he responded. Marco chuckled.

 

“I’ve had a class with him for awhile now. He seemed to recognize your name when I mentioned you,” he said. Jean smiled and leaned back.

 

“Small world, huh?” he said. The trailers started after a few minutes. Several of them sparked his interest. He would grin when Marco would lean in to suggest that they see the same ones once they came out. Once the movie started, the two sat in silence. The movie paid homage to some of the classics. It started in black and white, zooming out from the face of a beautiful blonde woman. She looked like a mix between Marilyn Monroe and a girl he knew from middle school. As the camera panned back, the ratio widening along with it, color began to fill the screen. Her eyes looked gray as the camera was able to capture the redness of blood that painted the concrete underneath her. He glanced over at Marco. Jean may not have known the male that well, but he could point out a softie from a mile away and he seemed to fit the bill. He grinned in surprise at the look of intrigue that painted the male’s face. They sat, occasionally mumbling about the movie to each other. Their hands would brush against one another in the popcorn bowl. Jean grimaced at the childish way his heart fluttered at first. Nearly half way through the movie, Jean could hear the smacking of lips from behind him. He shook his head, figuring that the couple had picked this movie in the hopes of it being empty. The couple in front of them seemed to be just barely hanging onto the large seat that they shared. Jean leaned over near Marco.

 

“I love noir as much as the next guy, but I doubt I could get a boner to it,” he whispered. Marco snickered.

 

“You’d think murder wouldn’t be a particularly romantic subject,” Marco responded in a quiet whisper. Jean chuckled and sat back in his seat. The two seemed to gaze pointedly at the screen, as if avoiding to look at the couple. The movie was nearing it’s end with the killer seeming close to getting caught. Normally, Jean would have played detective on his own to figure out who the killer was. However, he was distracted. He figured he had missed clues and hints each time he would cast his gaze to Marco, studying the male’s face; the way he pressed his lips in a line at the distress of the main actress. Jean noted the way his shoulders would slightly raise in a silent gasp at a gruesome scene. He had focused so much on the freckled male that he some of the movie escaped. He was surprised since this was his favorite director as well. Once the movie ended and the lights were flicked back on, the two waited. The clique of girls practically bolted out of the theatre, either put off by the movie or disturbed by the couples. Jean looked over to see that Marco was checking around him.

 

“You good?” Jean asked.

 

“Yeah,” Marco muttered. “Just making sure there’s no mess.” Jean glanced around as well. They had left their area clean, save for a few stray popcorn pieces. Jean plucked them up and they made their way out.

 

“So, did you like the movie?” Jean asked. Marco threw away their trash as they passed the last can by the door.

 

“Yes, I figured the boyfriend had done it but, man, was it a trip to get there,” he said with a small chuckle. They reached the door. This time, Jean held the door completely open. Marco snickered/

 

“What a gentleman,” he said. They stood by the door facing each other. “Anyway, this was nice we should do this again some time.”

 

“Another movie?” Jean asked.

 

“Well, maybe something else,” Marco said.

 

“How about we figure this out over bagels,” Jean suggested with grin. Marco smiled and nodded.

 

“Definitely, I’ll text you later,” he said. Jean nodded. They both waved and headed toward their cars, each in different section of the parking lot. Jean sat in his car and looked down at his phone. He already had a text.

 

 **Marco :)** **:** I was planning on getting a bagel for breakfast on Monday.

 **Marco :)** **:** So… I’ll see you there??

 

Jean smiled softly at the texts. He tapped in his reply and pressed send. He sat with his head tilted back as he drummed his fingers against the steering wheel. His mind inexplicably went back to what Connie had said about the first time he hung out with Sasha. Jean sat up and shook his head. He started his car and drove out of the parking lot and back to his home.

 

 


End file.
